Reds out to burst Brumbies balloon

Ben Horne and David Barbeler

Queensland director of coaching Ewen McKenzie believes the Reds can deflate the Brumbies' entire season with victory in Saturday night's Super Rugby blockbuster at Canberra Stadium.

The Brumbies are confident prized recruit David Pocock can catapult them to the next level in 2013 and coach Jake White has been typically bullish about what his team is capable of.

White and McKenzie have been engaged in a public slanging match all week, and the mind games only intensified on game eve.

McKenzie says the Brumbies have set themselves up for a big fall by spending an entire pre-season boasting about their first-class preparation.

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Queensland's coaching guru isn't sure how the ACT side will bounce back if the Reds rain on the Brumbies much-hyped opening night.

"That's a very good question actually because everything you've read, every second day, there was a story about their preparation and how good it's been and how long they've been at it," said McKenzie on Friday.

"So they've set themselves up for all or nothing.

"We quite like that scenario. If we can win tomorrow night, it's a good question (if they can respond) ... probably a better question to ask them."

McKenzie delayed naming his team until 6pm (AEDT) on Friday, much to the annoyance of South African counterpart White.

However, the former Springboks World Cup-winning coach is confident naming his team early in the week is a sure sign the Brumbies are settled and ready to fire.

White steered the underdog Brumbies to within a whisker of last year's Super Rugby playoffs, only to be pipped at the post in the Australian Conference by the Reds.

With world-class flanker Pocock added to the mix, White believes his side are a complete package in the making - and was happy to accept the favouritism tag for Saturday's match.

White compared Pocock's influence on the rugby field to some of the game's all-time greats.

"You talk about Jonah Lomu, Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Schalk Burger, they're players who can win games on their own," said White.

"You've got to put David Pocock in that same frame. He won the quarter-final (World Cup 2011) against South Africa on his own and showed how worthy he is.

"That's how highly I see him. All players who play with him and against him know what he's worth. He's going to add massive amounts of value to us."

Queensland named outstanding young talent Aidan Toua to start at outside centre and partner Wallaby Ben Tapuai in the midfield.

Toua played just one Super Rugby match last year, ironically against the Brumbies, but the 23-year-old from Papua New Guinea is considered a star of the future.

Mike Harris will play fullback for the Reds, with Dom Shipperley and Digby Ioane on the wings.

Quade Cooper will be partnered by scrumhalf Ben Lucas, who is deputising for the injured Will Genia.

In the absence of injured skipper James Horwill, locks Rob Simmons and Adam Wallace-Harrison will start in the second row.